Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-05-11
Potts Dental Experience.

from the toothache, and one day he
went around to the Office of DR.. Slugg,
the dentist, to have the offending
tooth pulled. The doctor has very
large practice, and in order to econo-
mize his strength. he invented ma
chine for pulling teeth. He con-
structed series of cranks and levers
fixed to movable stand, and operat-
ing pair of forceps by means of a
leather belt, which was connected
with the shafting of machine-shop
in the street back of the house. The
doctor experimental with it several
times on nails firmly inserted in a
board, and it worked splendidly. The
first patient he tried it on was on Mr..
Potts. When the forceps had been
clasped upon Potts, DR.. Slugg geared
the machine and opened the valve.
1t was never known with any degree
of exactness whether the doctor pull
ed the valve too far open or whether
the engine was working at that mo-
ment under extraordinary pressure.
But in the twinkling Of an eye Mr..
Potts was twisted out of the chair,
and the movable stand began to exc
cute the most surprising maneuvres
around the room. 1t would jerk Mr..
Potts high in the air, and souse him
down in an appalling manner, with
one leg among Slugg's gouges and
other instruments of torture and with
the other in the spittoon. Then it
would rear him up against the chan
delier three or four times, and shy
across and drive Potts head through
the oil portraits of Slugg's father
over the mantel-piece. After bump
ing him against Slugg's ancestor it
would swirl Potts around among the
crockery on the wash stand and dance
him up and down in an exciting man.
ner over the stove, until finally the
molar "gave," and as Potts landed
with his foot through the pier-glass
and his elbow on a pink poodle work
ed in green rug, the machine dash
ed violently against DIR. Slugg and
tried to seize his legs with the forceps.
When they carried Potts home he
discovered that Slugg had pulled the
wrong tooth; and DR.. Slugg never
sent to collect his bill. He cancelled
his contract with the man who owned
the planning mill; and began to pull
teeth in the old way, by hand.
Mr.. Potts, day or two later, re-
solved to take the aching tooth out
himself. He had heard that tooth
could be removed suddenly and without
much pain by tying string around
it, fixing the string to bullet and fir
ing the bullet from a gun. So he got
some string and fastened it to the
tooth and to ball, rammed the latter
into his gun, and aimed the gun out
of the window Then he began to
feel nervous about, and he cooked and
uncocked the gun about twenty times,
as his mind changed in regard to the
operation. The last time the gun was
cocked he resolved not to take the
tooth out in that way, and he began
to let the hammer down preparatory
to cutting the string But the ham
mer slipped, and the next minute Mr..
Potts tooth was flying through the
air at the rate of fifty miles minute,
ard he was rolling over the floor
bowling and splitting blood. After
Mrs. Potts had picked him up and
given him water with which to wash
out his mouth, he went down to the
front window. While he was sitting
there thinking that maybe it was all
for the best, he saw some men coming
by carrying body on a shutter. He
asked what was the matter, and they
told him that Bill Dingus had been
murdered by somebody.
Mr.. Potts thought he would put on
his hat and go down to the coroner's
Office and see what the tragedy was.
When he got there Mr.. Dingus had
revived somewhat, and he told his
story to the coroner. He was trim
ming tree in Butterwick's garden.
when he suddenly heard the explosion
of a gun, and the next minute bull
ct struck him in the thigh and he fell
to the ground. He said he couldn't
imagine who did it. Then the doctor
examined the wound and found a
string hanging from it, and large
bullet suspended upon the string.
When he pulled the string it would
not move any, and he said that it must
be tied to some other missile still in
the flesh. He said it was the most ex-
traordinary case on record. The med
ical books reported nothing of the
kind.
Then the doctor gave Mr.. Dingus
chloroform and proceeded to cut into
him with knife to find the other end
of the string; while he was at work
Mr.. Potts begnn Tn feel s;ck nj his |